GB1257595A - - Google Patents

Abstract

1,257,595. Cumene hydroperoxide. ALLIED CHEMICAL CORP. 3 June, 1970 [14 July, 1969], No. 26886/60. Heading C2C. Cumene hydroperoxide is prepared in a continuous process which comprises the following steps: (1) reacting cumene with oxygen at 80-120‹ in a zone to which there is supplied (a) fresh cumene of at least 99.8% purity and recycle cumene from step (3); and (b) an oxygen-containing gas containing at least 8% (mol.) of oxygen the amounts of (a) and (b) supplied being such that the ratio of the number of moles of oxygen supplied per hour to the " maximum number of moles of oxygen consumable " per hour is at least 0À25:1, the reaction conditions being such that the concentration of cumene hydroperoxide in the reaction zone is maintained at 8-40% (weight) and the exit gases contain 3-10% (weight) of oxygen, the reaction being carried out in the absence of initiator, catalyst and alkalizing agent; (2) separating unreacted cumene from the hydroperoxide by vacuum flash distillation of the liquid product of step (1) and condensation of the exit gases from step (1), followed by separation of the cumene; and (3) freeing the unreacted cumene from acid by treatment with an alkali metal hydroxide and recycling it to step (1). Preferably the process is carried out in a plurality of oxidation zones in which the temperature becomes successively lower in the range 80-120‹ C. The " maximum number of moles of oxygen consumable per hour " is defined as the number of moles of oxygen reacted per hour at the temperature under consideration when the feed gas is pure oxygen. The cumene hydroperoxide may be converted to phenol by known methods.